My aunt recently wrote me after finding out that I'm looking for a job again to suggest that I go back to school, get a PhD, and become a researcher or teacher. If you've been following my journal, my guess is you know what my reply was.

It's unlikely that I'd go back to school to get another degree, but I think it might be interesting to do research in media studies. A few years ago, I read several books that covered the early history of radio and TV broadcasting, because I was interested in how noncommercial radio began, and also how ad-sponsored broadcasting gained a foothold over the other forms of revenue that were introduced when broadcasting was commercialized.

In one of the books, Selling Radio, the author (Susan Smulyan) mentions that the opponents of commercial broadcasting were divided, unfocused, and underfunded, and thus were unable to make a strongly counter the broadcast networks' claims that they would operate in the public interest. It reminded me of the struggle that was occurring at the time in the camp of the opposition to ICANN. In addition to not being united, IMO they lost credibility because some people associated with their movements were nuisances on the mailing lists and web forums where ICANN was debated.